Beyond the Clouds
Artist: Free Flight

Free Flight's fourth recording (and third for the now-defunct Palo Alto label) was its first with Mike Garson on keyboards. Garson and flutist Jim Walker (whose roots are very much in classical music) blend together very well, and they constantly challenge each other on long, impeccably played unisons. With bassist Jim Lacefield and drummer... Read More

Curtain Call
Artist: Jaco Pastorius

Dubbed "the last live American performance of Jaco Pastorius" (liner notes), the posthumously released Curtain Call is the most refreshing of Pastorius' post-big-band live recordings. Sparked by superb sound quality and enthusiastic, energetic performances, the CD features the only available live recordings by Pastorius of "John and Mary,"... Read More

Heavy 'n Jazz
Artist: Jaco Pastorius

Heavy 'n Jazz is the last live Jaco Pastorius performance currently available to the public, and is one of the most truly satisfying of his trio recordings. The album is heavy, as the title suggests, thanks to a powerful trio fronted by guitarist extraordinaire Bireli Lagrene displaying his fiercest rock chops. A fast-paced outing with more rock... Read More

Chaser
Artist: Terje Rypdal & the Chasers

This 1985 release finds Rypdal working in a hard-hitting power-trio format with his new group, the Chasers. ~ Michael P. Dawson, All Music Guide Read More

Blue
Artist: Terje Rypdal & the Chasers

Terje Rypdal's all too short-lived rock band the Chasers played like a jazz trio -- a jazz trio that always pushed the barrier to achieve the visceral punch of rock. They could be funky as hell (note the dirtyass slow groove on "Kompet Gär"), terrifyingly experimental ("Og Hva Synes Vi Om Det"), cinematically bold ("Om Bare"), or wonderfully... Read More

Honestly: Solo Live
Artist: Jaco Pastorius

Honesty is a compiled disc of Pastorius' solo performances while on tour with guitarist Bireli Lagrene and drummer Tomas Böröcz in Europe on his last run through the continent before dying in Florida the next year. This set, consisting entirely of Pastorius solos, sounds excessive -- it is. There is no other recording remotely like it. But it's... Read More

First Circle
Artist: Pat Metheny Group
Community Score: 9.00

In First Circle, the Pat Metheny Group settled into a lineup that lasted for quite a while -- with Metheny, keyboardist Lyle Mays, bassist Steve Rodby, and new drummer Paul Wertico forming the core quartet. The ever-restless Metheny also mixes up the music, not quite leaving the Brazilian glide behind but coming up with some fascinating... Read More

Standards Live
Artist: Keith Jarrett Trio

Standards Live, from 1987, continued at the same high level of previous Standards, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 with pianist Keith Jarrett often recalling his early influence, Bill Evans. The well-integrated trio (Gary Peacock, bass; Jack DeJohnette, drums) plays three frequently performed tunes and three obscurities. The interplay between the players was... Read More

The Jack DeJohnette Piano Album
Artist: Jack DeJohnette

This album was a surprise when it was released for it features drummer Jack DeJohnette exclusively on piano and synthesizer in a trio with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Freddie Waits. DeJohnette on a couple of the tunes was among the very first pianists to really capture the sound of Thelonious Monk. Other selections are more in his own style... Read More

Album, Album
Artist: Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition

Most of Special Edition's recordings are quite rewarding and this set is no exception. Drummer/keyboardist Jack DeJohnette contributed five of the six compositions (all but "Monk's Mood") and they cover a wide range of styles and moods, from "New Orleans Suite" and "Festival" to the ambitious "Third World Anthem" and a revisit to his "Zoot... Read More

Live in New York City, Vol. 5: Raca
Artist: Jaco Pastorius